So,

I bought a BRZ.
It looks like this:


Team Red  (before I washed it)


Tight fit in the garage  (and thanks to Jose for the help bleeding brakes)


Did the previous owner include wheel lock key?  No,  no she didn't.

Thankfully,  she found them literally minutes before I was about to start hammering sockets on them.

Done so far, no pictures because who cares:  
Fluids:
Oil:  M1 5w30
Trans: Redline MT90
Diff:  Redline 75w90
Brake fluid: ATE Type 200 (wtf happened to Super Blue?!!!!)

Got a killer deal on used camber plates so on they go






Swapped rear springs for 2013 FR-S Springs.  The 2013 FR-S had the stiffest rear springs from the factory, and the 2017+ cars had the stiffest front springs (and biggest rear bar)  so I now have the stiffest setup with factory parts.   No pictures because I was busy trying to not be killed by rental spring compressors.

new rear lower control arms.   There is an eccentric bolt by the hub that you turn to set camber


RIGHT after I installed those I found a crazy deal on some Blox lower control arms,  that do not use an eccentric, and allow for much more range of adjustability.   Oh,  and they are gold.   They will go on at some point in the future.


New brake pads.   Im not even kidding.    They had me at "official brakes of NASCAR"

After bedding them in,  they are VERY good street pads.  Again, not kidding.


New reeyumz!   Konig 17x8 flow formed wheels....... that dont fit over the bremboz  back they go



I think that about covers it for now.   Ill write some thoughts and impressions on the car later.  Maybe.

Ford is repurchasing my 2018 F-150 due to some various items they cannot seem to fix. <--- that is the most polite and diplomatic way to describe the 54 days out of service with no resolution that I've dealt with

I need a new tow pig as I've stopped driving the Ford, effective immediately. They are buying it back with the current odometer reading, so anything past that will affect the monetary amount I get back. Plus, risk of crashes and so on. I've had some thoughts while driving press cars and I'm at a bit of a loss. Maybe talking it all out will help some.

The deal is this, I don't want any sort of payment neeeear what I was making on the new/nice/expensive truck. Anything brand new is out, as I'd rather put that kind of monthly payment into savings or travel or literally anything that's not a vehicle with a hitch. If we were talking 911s or F-Types then let 'er eat and I can retire never instead.

Before we get into my ideas, some other basic notes. No GMs, of course. I'd look at 09ish Tundras (pre-facelift) but godDAMN they are ugly trucks, sorry Kaan. I don't particularly like the facelift either, I liked it more when it was free and Toyota owned it. Second-gen (08+) Sequoia is out for the same reason. I could do a third Ford, pre-2018, with whatever engine I choose. I like them, they are reliable, etc. but part of me just wants to try something else. It's been 4 years of hearing doodeedoo every time I start my truck.

So, some ideas with some details:

2015ish Ram 1500 Laramie or Sport
I like these. They look good, the 5.7 V8 sounds great, and reliability seems par for the course. Ignore Brandon's Jeep. Could probably be purchased for $25-29k.



2015ish Ford Expedition Limited
This would be... an option. 3.5L EcoBoost. Same price as the Ram above. Slightly shorter overall. 119" wheelbase should be stable with the trailer given the '19 Sequoia I just had was 122" and hauled it a-ok.



2012ish Nissan Titan Pro 4X
This is my sub-$20k idea. They look pretty good. My friend is a master tech at Infiniti and says they'll go forever if you just change the oil. Kinda hard to find in this trim (but you get leather seats, which make the truck look way nicer) but I'd also consider the top-trim SL. 



2014ish Mercedes-Benz GL550
Wildcard. Same 122" wheelbase as the Sequoia. Pricing would be higher - $29-37k depending on mileage. I've driven one (and the slower GL450 sister) and they are nice inside. Super light steering. Lots of people on Benzworld and other forums seem to tow huge enclosed car trailers and campers with these. Reliability sounds pretty good.



2003ish Ford Excursion
Fuck it, maybe I should buy a school bus based on an F250. It'd be cheap but not cheerful given they like to eat balljoints and had sloppy steering from day one. But it would have charm, maybe? Diesel or V10 or whatever. Maybe I would hate this idea.



Thoughts? Am I missing anything?

Getting the word out for a friend here in town, in case you know anybody into these things. He's asking $23.5 but happy to talk to serious parties. 

This truck has been restored using a 1979 F-150 Custom that had a bad frame and a very clean 1976 F-250 from a Grand Canyon National Forest Truck. The registration is for a 79 Ford. 
The engine and transmission were built by D & J Machine in Phoenix AZ (aka tuffdawgengines.com) although they built amazing engines, they are no longer in operation.
The build sheet is attached in the images, but it is a 390. She'll scoot. 
The truck still gets regular use on nice days and has no issue starting up or going anywhere. You can fly out to Virginia and drive this truck home. I am happy to answer any questions you might have or send additional photos. 

Video of engine/exhaust - https://vimeo.com/347372871

*** sold***

Despite feeling like a sheeple (or a quintessential suburban homeowner dad), I bought a new 2019 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E in Obsidian Blue. Back to Honda and VTEC I go. I’ve been debating with which vehicle to replace the GTI for a while now and pulled the trigger yesterday. Acquiring the z3 last year threw my initial plans of a sporty hatch/wagon back to the drawing board as it gave me a cheap(er) fun car to drive and tinker with as a project. A mid-sized truck was ideal for a utility fitment into the fleet to compliment the roadster and my wife's wagon and this one is the best fit for what I plan to do with it.

The truck is nice, like really nice. The steering is clearly of a larger vehicle, but not over bearing. I'm still getting used to the width, turning radius, and wheelbase when maneuvering in tight spaces. The features really make this a pleasant experience and I've yet to really master much of the tech yet. I haven't tried the ACC yet, I hope to never test the safety stuff, and I already don't like the aggressive lane keep assit.

I also haven’t daily driven an automatic transmission since the Titan in early 2010 and I forgot how nice it is in stop/go traffic. I do find this strange when I think about it, but when I do drive an automatic I tend to just cruise as opposed to trying to find the open spot and gain a better spot in the rat race line; maybe this is good for my overall driving demeanor. The suspension is cush and this thing is q-u-i-e-t. If I don’t turn on any music it’s eerily quiet. The handling is what it is; responsive for its size, slightly heavy, and yet numb. The engine feels strong and throttle is nice. It gets out of its own way except when in eco mode where it feels like I put it in limp mode. The seating is comfortable and not bolstered. The interior space was a big selling point and had plenty of room in the cab for both rows, probably because it's pretty much a pilot with a bed instead of a third row. It feels like I’ve given up a little getting this nicer suv/truck/car thing and beautifully I don’t really care about the stigma. This thing will be useful and hopefully pretty reliable pending my maintenance.

Only future additions I can think of are a tonneau cover, bicycle rack mounts for the bed, and some all weather mats, but that’s about it. Maybe those extended door checks for the rear doors, but not planning to do much with this car/truck aside from drive and use it.

Anyone using headlight film and if so what brand? Looking for something clear to help prevent hazing. Have lamin x on it now but it's super hazy. It's probably 5 or 6 years old which I guess could be the lifespan of this type of thing? Idk. But it had weird lines running through it not long after installation. Almost looks like the lens shattered. Hopefully there wasn't an issue from retained heat or something. But looking for another brand. I like the sound of x pel but can't find it anywhere. When I search, everything says auto paint protection. Think it's the same stuff or the headlight film would be clearer or better at handling heat?

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Or Eddie Bauer, as the Ford marketing people tried to call it. 

This fell into my lap for cheap from a coworker right about the time things were getting serious with the RS6 buyer; so I figured why not. it'll bridge the gap until something new catches my eye. 
It's been nice having 2 - 3 row vehicles when hauling a family that could field our own ice hockey team around. 

The truck? car? idk, they call it a ranger based vehicle, so whatever that means, has a solid amount of creature comforts from a 12 year old vehicle. 
Has the 4.6L 3 valve mustang engine, and push button 4WD. 


it had just turned 150k when I got it, the transmission shifts hard sometimes, but not slipping yet. There is a lovely engine tick which I've at least ruled out cam phasers and broken header stud/exhaust leak, and kind of leaning towards a stuck cam follower/roller thing. It did get quieter with an oil change and I'll probably still try to poke at it here and there, but most likely just gonna send it. 

https://vimeo.com/347371378

It's coming up on 155k, so I'm open to any and all suggestions of oil weights and snake oil additives to try. I did toss a can of sea foam into the intake when I first got the car, but that didn't seem to do much for the noise. 

Other minor things wrong: 
  - The automatic running boards are mostly seized, but the motors run every time you open the door. I just disabled them in the down position from the OBC
  - P0420 Code for a bad cat on the passenger side
  - Driver window didn't work (turned out to be a broken wire at the regulator, easy enough to fix)
  - Driver side motor for raising/lowering 3rd row has stripped gears, apparently a common issue with the plastic gears, and of course there's not a manual override to lift the seat.  
  - The head unit display was out. I finally pulled that and re-soldered a few of the connectors per youtube, and tada!

$150 - SOLD

https://www.curtmfg.com/part/31068

Great condition. Comes with hardware, light paint bubbling.



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I am paring down my modest watch collection and switching a few up in the process.

Seiko SNDE25 (7T92-0NY0)  42mm men's quartz watch


$75 shipped
Untitled by skrzastek, on Flickr

Fossil watch bq-9333.  Blue face with silver chrono dials
$30 shipped
Untitled by skrzastek, on Flickr
Fossil BQ9186 Black and silver
$30 shipped.

Untitled by skrzastek, on Flickr

All are in great shape, I think I only wore the Seiko twice?

https://streamable.com/rfcyd

Saw this on r/cars.  Skip to about 9:15 for the incident.

Seems like the driver was driving somewhat decently until he experienced brain fade and missed his braking point on the fastest part of the track.  If I had to guess, I think he just zoned out at the worst possible time.  You can see him looking down at his lap timer a few moments before so maybe he just didn't refocus.  I'd like to think he wasn't trying to brake that late on purpose.

It's scary how hard he hit that Porsche.  70 mph at point of impact.

EDIT: Checked Rennlist for this incident and saw the description from the driver on youtube before he deleted it from there:

Quote:This was the 1st session on Day 2 at VIR with Chin Track Days on 29-30 June 2019. The car was running well. The event was going well. The session, and my event, ended with a Black Flag when I was unable to adequately slow the car in the Brake Zone at the end of the back straight. I ended up leaving the track and then crossing back over it... in the process hitting a GT3.